A GIRL FROM A BOX: A Comedy About A Sex Robot Who Just Wanted A Little More Out of Life
Is there such a thing as the “perfect” woman? Though it seems that one’s criteria for such a lofty title can be anything from exterior sex appeal to shared interests and beliefs, the truth is that everyone has their own definition of a “perfect” romantic partner. Thus, today’s technology — particularly artificial intelligence-powered apps and lifelike “sex robots” — gives men and women the opportunity to create virtual companions that are just like the humans who programmed them.
In real life, these apps and robots haven’t yet successfully recreated the invaluable human connection that a romantic relationship provides — though they’re coming very close to achieving that goal. At the same time, though, artificial intelligence doesn’t yet provide the power for its virtual personalities to think and act independently of the flesh-and-blood people who operate it.
Yet while films like Her, Ex Machina and the anthology thriller series Black Mirror have imagined the possibilities and dangers that advanced A.I. technology can present to society, writer/director duo Chloe Taylor and Alxis Ratkevich’s new comedy short A Girl From A Box ponders what it would be like if a computerized “robot girlfriend” gained the will to be her own woman.
That scenario unfolds as a down-on-his-luck geek (Charlie, played by Josh Odsess-Rubin) decides to overcome his latest disastrous breakup by creating the “perfect” main squeeze for himself when he orders an A.I.-powered sexbot (April, played by Jacqueline Jandrell). Sporting a British accent and a passion for The Lord Of The Rings, April initially satisfies Charlie’s specific love and personality needs.
Little does Charlie know, however, that he’s inadvertently given his new fling a chance to be as independent as her human counterparts. As April enjoys the freedom that comes with making her own choices, Charlie must choose between letting go of the woman he created and keeping her from growing into the woman she wants to be.
A Girl From A Box will next play virtually at Puerto Rico’s upcoming Rincon International Film Festival, running from August 5th-9th. For Taylor and Ratkevich, A Girl From A Box is a story that holds up a hilarious yet relatable mirror to how virtual technology has impacted our search for romance, while showing that love between human and machine can be just as unpredictable as love between human and human.
CH: What (and/or who) inspired you to make this film?
Chloe Taylor (co-writer/co-director, A Girl From A Box): When you make a movie, it’s such an incredibly long process from the time you come up with the idea to the time that you actually put all the bells and whistles on it in post and finish. The weird thing is that that initial “idea” or “inspiration” for the film sort of morphs in the process, so whenever anyone asks me this question, I’m tentative to answer because inside I’m like, “good question. Why the hell did I make this anyway?”
That being said, I’m not sure what Alxis would say but I personally have always been obsessed with love and relationships and why they work and why they don’t. It’s one of my favorite things to talk about. Alxis and I, being good friends through the years, had laughed and joked a lot about our lives and boyfriends and husbands or whatever.
When we started brainstorming ideas, robots and sex robots were starting to be in the media a lot. Somehow we started concentrating on love in the digital age and the idea of being able to design the perfect person. That led us to (think), “what if a lonely nerdy guy designed the perfect woman but then she slowly developed into her own person?” We just basically found that exploring Charlie and April’s dynamics provided a good metaphor for some of the pitfalls and expectations of relationships in general.
Alxis Ratkevich (co-writer/co-director, A Girl From A Box): We started going deeper into the idea and (we) really started exploring what we found interesting, disturbing and hilarious about it. It gave us a vehicle to say a lot of things we wanted to say but allowed us to do it in this colorful, slightly surreal world we created. The subject matter allowed us to make a lot of over the top jokes, which was fun.
CH: Compared to movies like Her and the Black Mirror episode “Be Right Back”, A Girl From A Box takes a different look at the relationship between an A.I. (in this case, April, played by Jacqueline Jandrell) and her human counterpart (Charlie, played by Josh Odsess-Rubin) — specifically as it relates to the differences between them and the independence April gradually feels. What made you want to frame the film from that perspective, and how does it help this film stand apart from other similar stories?
Chloe: I would have to see the very lovely Her again, to be able to accurately compare and contrast because it’s been a while. The interesting thing about the Black Mirror episode is that up until (now) I had never seen it. I watched the first season when it came out and although I loved it, I eventually found the dystopian similarities between the show and real life a little too much to handle.
I have to watch a lot of comedies to keep from being depressed. However, before we did this interview with you, we got a great review in Film Inquiry by Rose Dymock, who also mentioned that episode. Before doing this interview, I figured I had better sit down and watch (“Be Right Back”). It was so well done. It’s a completely different tone obviously, with ours being a comedy and having the feminist angle, etc.
The common element was the fact that the protagonist was initially enamored with the robot but soon misses the nuances that only come from another human. In terms of framing the story from April’s search for independence, we wanted the audience to really empathize with her. We think that in the end, they both come out as heroes.
Alxis: I’ve actually never seen (Her or Black Mirror) but right off the bat we knew April would gain her independence. That’s the story we wanted to tell. It was the spark, that “wouldn’t it be funny” idea that a sex robot would get sick of her owner and her duties and leave them and (the concept) evolved from there.
I wanted to play with the dynamics of Charlie creating something he feels he owns, with April growing and seeking her autonomy. Since we knew we wanted the relationship between Charlie and April to be a commentary on modern relationships, it’s almost a play on a trope.
How often do we see these dynamics reflected in people around us? If your relationship is based on inequality or selfishness, often what starts off copacetic can’t last if one partner starts to evolve or seek equality. To me it really speaks to being in a relationship with an off-kilter power structure — whether (it’s) from age, fame, economics, whatever. I think that’s the different angle we took.
The technology itself is a huge quandary but we didn’t want to focus on that as the real root of the problem. We wanted to use it more as a parable to talk about what love really is, (plus) the dangers of putting limitations on ourselves and others, and the toxicity of perfection. We wanted to create a film with the ending we’d hope to see: that both Charlie and April grew as “people”, and that April followed her heart and wasn’t defined by her “programming”.
CH: In what ways (if at all) have your experiences with technology — and dating — inspired the story that’s told in A Girl From A Box?
Chloe: I think I can speak for Alxis too when I say that we both consider ourselves lucky to not have dated during this period in technology. However, we have tons of friends who have so we’ve heard the war stories. I’m sure that contributed to some of the jokes we have referencing Tinder and such (in the film).
Alxis: I don’t have dating and technology stories per se but I have been able to witness the shift in culture to living an online curated perfect life, and that was definitely something that we wanted to hit on in the film. With all the dating sites and apps, it’s created a culture where if one thing isn’t perfect (how you pictured it) it’s time to move on. I think a lot of great relationships are missed because of that.
I also always found it weird when couples are exactly alike, (and when one person) only likes the things the other person likes, I always thought that must get boring. I think having things in common is important in a relationship but you also need differences to be able to teach, (to) share and (to) enlighten one another. (Though) in real life and not (on) a dating app, I (used) to get the “hot elf princess” compliment a lot when the Lord Of The Rings movies came out, so that one is based on real experience.
CH: What was the production process like for this film?
Alxis: It was true indie filmmaking: lots of curve balls but also lots of creativity, energy and fun. As writers and directors we had a clear vision of what we wanted and (we achieved it) with the support of a great crew.
(The production) wasn’t effortless, (and) it wasn’t all smooth sailing but we were able to pull the film off the way we had envisioned it — even the complicated last shot. We had no real rehearsals for cast, so being able to work with expert actors who were so quickly able to connect to the role and get the humor, get the heart, hit it in the right tone and timing, was an integral part in having the movie come together so well.
We were lucky to have a lot of people who believed not only in the project, but in Chloe and I and that made all the difference. Everyone on the cast and crew really gave of their talents to support the film. A lot of these people have worked on much larger projects but they took on our project with the same work ethic and heart and (they) just really kicked ass.
There (were) definitely some “make it work” moments, like me directing while standing on a desk holding up the “bathroom backdrop” for the “Wendy the plumber” scene (Wendy is played in the film by Chloe Taylor). I love that, It’s the punk in me, not tripping on my own ego (but) just creatively figuring out how to get the shot right and doing it.
CH: Who do you think would like to watch A Girl From A Box, and are there any specific romantic comedies you’d compare it to?
Chloe: We’ve been surprised at how many different types of people have responded to it so I really don’t know. I grew up on John Hughes’ movies and I hope that it feels at least a little bit Weird Science-y but with some “girl power” thrown in. We wanted it to have a bit of an ’80s vibe.
Alxis: I think there’s some nostalgia to it. It’s like our version of Weird Science (the feminist version). People who dream of a play on John Hughes-type movies but with just the good parts (and) without the problematic and misogynistic aspects [laughs] might like it.
We’ve gotten the Judd Apatow comparison a lot, especially in reference to (the acclaimed Netflix comedy series) Love. I think his work is amazing so that’s really meaningful to me that multiple people have made that reference. I’m not sure (if there’s) an exact movie (I’d compare it to).
I think the type of viewer (who might want to watch A Girl From A Box) is someone who in their heart roots for the underdog and believes life can be beautiful. (Yet it’s) also someone who is not only unoffended (by) but actually appreciative of a good clitoris joke. Those are our people.
CH: What do you hope people take away from watching A Girl From A Box?
Chloe: For me, it’s about the expectations of love, that nobody can fix you, that we all get put in boxes of sorts, and from a comedic stance — that the dynamics of a relationship can be hilarious. I mean, (it’s) painful as hell, but fundamentally hilarious.
Alxis: My perspective (on), (and) my ideas around the true meaning of being in love (and) what love is, (are) some things I wanted to share (through this film, including) the role of “perfection” that we have amplified, the idea and normalcy of everything being great (and) perfect all the time, and how technology has played into that and changed the way we all connect and relate to each other.
There’s a small touch (in the film) on the fragility and impermanence of life, and (of) the beauty of being like April and appreciating and caring for the world around you. Besides that, a big message for me is rethinking the expectations and limitations we put on ourselves and others, (and) for people to realize they do have a choice: a choice to live the life (they want to live, and to) be the person they want to be — whatever that is.
For more information and behind-the-scenes photos from A Girl From A Box, visit the film’s web site:
https://www.agirlfromabox.com/
On Facebook: https://www.facebook.com/AGirlFromaBox/
On Instagram: @agirlfromabox
